Fitness Friday

Man this week just flew by! I love short work weeks...bring on the weekend!

Sunday - 13 miles, easy pace. This was the best run! I ran with a couple of guys from my running group, on a new-to-us stretch of the bike trail. There was one killer hill, but overall it was a nice route. Good conversation on the way out, and then I turned back before them so I had a little "alone" time with my thoughts. I also tried out PowerGels for the first time. Pretty sweet, but not so bad. One of the guys said "just think of it as the filling in a jelly donut", and honestly - that really helped! They sat well with my stomach, so I think this might be a good alternative to the chews I used to eat pre-braces. Average pace: 9:43.

Monday - no fitness was to be had on Monday. Well, not true. I did hip strength and lower leg strength exercises. But besides that? Nada.

Tuesday - 5 mile cutdown run. 1 mile warm up, 3 miles at 8:55, 8:45, 8:35, 1 mile cool down. For some reason, I had trouble hitting the paces in those first two cutdown miles. I was way too fast, then slowed down too much, then had to catch up. It wasn't until that 8:35 mile that I finally leveled out and ran at a consistent pace. Overall though, it was a good run. Paces: 9:50, 8:52, 8:45, 8:34, 9:16.

Wednesday - I was totally going to get up and do yoga on Wednesday morning, but I went to see Pitch Perfect 2 on Tuesday night, and even though I wasn't out late I did have trouble falling asleep. Too hyped up from being out past 8:30pm? I don't know. So I opted for an extra hour of sleep. I did get in about 15 minutes of yoga in the evening, along with my core strength exercises.

Thursday - 4 easy miles. Nothing special about this run. The miles were easy, the weather was beautiful. Average pace: 9:40.

Friday - 5 easy miles. It was supposed to rain this morning, but the roads were dry when I left the house. I figured I'd just deal with it if I got rained on. But apparently my subconscious was worried about getting wet, because my first 2 miles were too fast. Once I told myself to stop being silly, 10 or 20 extra seconds was not actually going to get me home that much faster, I was able to slow down back to my easy range. Paces: 9:28, 9:32, 9:36, 9:48, 9:38

Saturday - tomorrow I plan on doing the circuit training routine, then I'm off to have lunch with a good, old friend. Not that she's old, just I've known her for a few years. Although she is quite a bit older than me. Uhm...I'm really not calling anyone old here. Moving on!

How's your training going? Do you use gels when you run?

Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Hello! Isn't it nice when your week starts on Tuesday? That pesky Monday is already done and over with, and Friday is that much closer!

We had a pretty laid back Memorial Day weekend. No parties or picnics for us this year. It rained all day on Monday anyway, so that would have put a damper on a BBQ anyway!

Friday night & Saturday we did have some pretty beautiful weather though. We were able to have our first bonfire of the summer on Friday night, thanks to all the rain we had previously. We were on a burn restriction for awhile, but a week's worth of rain will change that in a hurry!

Emily enjoyed a s'more (or two), and roasted her own marshmallows. That made mama a little anxious, but she did a good job with only a little help from me.

Saturday we spent almost the entire day outside. I got some flowers to plant in our planters on the front porch - white columbine and pink inpatients. I always misjudge how many flowers I will need, and buy too many. So then I had enough inpatients to do a hanging planter, and two small pots for the back yard. I also bought some fresh basil, since our grocery store never seems to have any. 

Travis built a raised bed, and planted green onions and carrots there. He also put in some sugar snap peas and pumpkins in our old garden. He has plans to put some asparagus too, but I've heard that those take a few years for a good crop. But they they come back for something like 20-30 years. Crazy! The next owners of our house will thank us. 

We also found a robin's nest in one of our trees, with a pretty little egg in it! So there had been a lot of excitement about that. "Where's the mama bird?" Or if she's at the nest, "where's the daddy bird?" I hope we are able to see the baby bird when it's born, and that we don't freak the mom out too much. We're trying to steer clear as much as possible. 

Sunday morning I was up bright and early to meet a couple of guys from our running group. We ran a new-to-us section of the Mesabi Trail. I only planned on 13 miles, while they did 14. Since it was an out and back route, I ran the 2nd half by myself. Those miles felt a lot longer than the 1st half! I did stop to snap this pic of the cool bridge over the highway.

That evening, we made "beer can burgers". Or basically, a burger patty made into a cup using the form of a can or jar, then wrapped in bacon, filled with cheese, sauteed veggies, and topped with cheese again. We filled ours with green pepper, mushroom, and onion. Very good, but next time I wouldn't saute the veggies, I'd just let them cook in the burger. 

Figuring out how to eat this with braces was pretty comical. But I managed!

Monday was rainy and gross, pretty much all day. We had a lazy day filled with movies and crafts. I had to run to Walmart, and I knew we were all going bonkers out of boredom, so I picked up some construction paper, pipe cleaner, glue, etc. 

Tada!

Emily's butterfly magnet on the fridge.

Emily made a couple of other things as well, mostly all butterfly related. Travis got into it and made a couple of magnets, too. He's just a big kid at heart.

We wrapped up our weekend with Sons of Anarchy and some popcorn. We just started watching SoA on Netflix. Someone tell me, does the acting get better as the seasons progress? Right now, we both laugh a little at the characters and the way they over-sell their lines.

How was your weekend? Filled with Memorial Day Activities or laid back like ours?

Fitness Friday

Saturday - Since I knew we would be down in the Cities, and no running was going to happen on Sunday, I opted to do my long run before we left. Last week was a cutdown week for me, so only 6 miles were scheduled, all at an easy pace. The best thing was that I got to listen to a podcast with Doug Kurtis, who (unknowingly to me) was the race director of the Detroit Freepress Marathon for 7 years. He's the very reason why the race goes over the Ambassador Bridge! It was a really great interview, and made the miles fly by.

Sunday - rest, rest rest.

Monday - I had the best of intentions to wake up for yoga this morning. I set my alarm, but apparently didn't actually turn it on. So I woke up "late" at 5:30. Skipped yoga, but I did get in some hip and lower leg strengthening in the evening.

Tuesday - Tempo run: 1 mile warm up, 3 miles at 8:40-8:50 pace, 1 mile cool down. I was so not happy when I started this run in the wind and snow showers. Maybe it was more like freezing rain, but it was pelting me in the face, getting in my eyes...ugh! The precipitation stopped after about the first mile. My paces were 9:18, 8:45, 8:45, 8:41, 9:30. I like this workout because you get to stretch your legs a little and really practice consistency. Something I definitely struggle with! In the evening I did the RC leg circuit workout, which has lots of lateral lunges, mountain climbers, regular lunges, etc. Lateral lunges seem easy at the time, but they make my inner thighs and glutes really work!

Wednesday - Circuit training instead of yoga. I am just not feeling yoga lately. I'm not sure if it's just not doing it for me or what. But after getting so sore last week, I'm hesitant to jump back into it. So circuit training instead. This is a fun workout that gets your heart rate up and keeps it there.

Thursday - Easy 3 miles, average pace 9:39. A truly beautiful morning. Cool, gentle breeze as the sun came up. I wish every run could be like this! (I'm looking at you, Tuesday run!). My legs felt a bit heavy and stiff from all the circuit training, but they felt better by about mile 2. Also, I listened to a podcast with Susan Russell, who ran the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race with a colostomy bag. Uh...talk about inspiring!

Friday - Another easy 3 miles. 9:38 pace. I ran an out & back course from my house, so 1.5 miles then turn around and come home. It was like I blinked and it was over! Although some days, that's ok.

I've got a 13 mile run planned for this weekend, hopefully with some of my running group members. Wish me luck! I'm so glad we have Monday off too, I might need a little extra R&R.

How's your training going? Do you have big plans for Memorial Day? 

Favorite things: Running Edition

I saw this post over on The Turkey Runner, so I'm keeping it going!

1. Location: Trail, Road, or Indoors? Roads, thankyouverymuch. The treadmill is ok when the weather is horrible and I have no other option. I am so not a fan of trail racing though. Here's a pic of my one and only trail race, and I really think my face says it all. I was trying to be positive, but it was horrible. Rainy, humid, trail was wet, way hillier than I thought it would be...no thank you.

I can't believe I'm actually sharing this with you.

2. Time of Day: Morning, Noon, or Evening? Morning. Noon is kind of difficult with work on the weekdays. Most evenings, I just want to relax. I love the quiet in the mornings, that I'm usually the only person out there, and that I start my day off right.

3. Fuel: Before, During, or After? For me, this depends on the distance. If it's a short run, then I'll just eat something when I get home. If it's a long run of 7 miles or more, I make sure I eat a little something before I hit the road. For long runs, I also eat something during, and of course refuel after. Always refuel after! Usually it's a banana and nut butter. I used to eat chews during my long runs, but had to stop after I got braces. So I started eating Fig Newton cookies, but I think I'm going to try out gels because the cookies can get a little bulky.

Post-run recovery snack. Coffee just because.

4: Accessories: Music, Watch, More? All of the above? On a typical run, I carry my phone, MP3 player, water bottles, and runner's mace. And fuel if it's a long run. If it's dark, I'm also wearing my headlamp and safety Xinglet. It's a good thing I have my fuel belt...that's a lot of crap.

Laughing at myself prior to a run in single digit temps.

5. Reward: Food, Wine, or...? Both! I love to eat, and I love to eat well. I love to drink wine, too. Naps are typically a reward after a long run if I can squeeze one in. Also: chocolate. All the chocolate.

6. Type of Run: Long, Easy, Tempo, Hills? I really like cut down runs, where you drop your pace by 10 seconds each successive mile. I enjoy hill workouts after they are done, because I know they're good for me. Tempo runs build confidence in my ability to sustain a pace. Long runs, for me, are purely "hey, look what I just did. I am pretty awesome!". Easy runs are great for clearing my head, getting a workout in, but not really working that hard. So...I like them all!

Weekend Recap - Birthday Weekend Extravaganza

Saturday was Trav's 31st birthday. Amazing! I still remember celebrating his 21st birthday at the Chili's in Gainesville...oh to be young again!

I decided to surprise him with a weekend in the Twin Cities, including a Twins baseball game and dinner out at a nice restaurant. Thanks to my great in-laws, Emily got to stay with them so it was an adult-only weekend.

We managed to get down to Minneapolis in record time, getting to our hotel at 12:15. We had planned on leaving our car there and taking an Uber car to the game. Have you used Uber before? It is pretty slick - I am a fan!

Everything went seamlessly with Uber, and the driver dropped us off right by the front gate. Unfortunately, Travis realized that he left our car keys in the Uber car just as we were about to walk into Target Field. Thankfully I was able to get the driver's cell phone number through the Uber app in about one minute (seriously, they have a great response time), and the guy came back with our keys. Hooray! That was our only bump along the way. Everything else was great!

Get ready for a picture overload!

We had pretty decent seats - not quite nosebleed, but not box seats either. Of course we had to grab some food before we got to our seats. I had a pork belly bacon sandwich with jalapeno jelly and vinegar slaw. Uhm, OMG was this good! Travis had a really great Cuban sandwich. I think I would get the Cuban if we ever go back.

The game was pretty exciting with lots of hits and plays. In the end, Twins won 6-4!

We decided to walk to the restaurant we were going to for dinner since the clouds cleared out, and we had tons of time. We walked across the Mississippi River into an area of the city known as "dinkytown". Ha! It's close to the U of MN, so lots of students, bars, and funky restaurants.

We ate at a place that came highly recommended by a cousin, called the Red Stag Supper Club. Even though we were an hour early for our reservation, they let us sit anyway. So we ordered some appetizers and some adult beverages. We had a delicious cheese plate, and their signature Truffled Kettle Corn. Kettle corn drizzled in truffle oil - hello yum. No pic of that because it just looks like regular popcorn.

Bleu cheese, gouda, and goat cheese with candied walnuts, apples, and cherries. 

Their menu is small, but pretty diverse. I had a really hard time deciding! Travis got the hanger steak, while I opted for the green garlic risotto with a side of grilled baby carrots. The risotto was delicious, but those carrots were to die for! Both Trav and I agreed that they were the best thing we ate there. Weird but true.

Afterwards, we stopped at a little gallery that was having a small show. One of the artists was there, and we started talking after I read his bio. I was amazed to find out that he's actually colorblind! He explained it as being able to see most colors, just not as many variations as you or I. Because of this, he works with one color at a time, so his colors are very crisp and clean. We couldn't afford any of his pieces, but I did buy some cards. This was one of our favorites.

Check him out: www.matthewrucker.com

We stopped at a bar that was supposed to have a great cupcake menu, but that was a flop. So we hightailed it out of there and went to a little place called Aster Cafe. They were having an open mic night with four different singer-songwriters. They had a great patio, and since we had some time before the show, we ordered a drink on the patio first. This Sweet Bitch Sangria was supposed to make the world a kinder place. I'm not so sure about that, but the drink was good! 

It started raining just before the show started, so we moved inside and nabbed a table. The music was pretty good, or half of it anyway. We both agreed that two of the songwriters were good, while two of them needed some work. 

Trav's feeling about sappy love songs, and bright flashes

We decided to head back to the hotel, and got another Uber car. Luckily, no keys were lost in the process! Our hotel had a fun bar, so we had a night cap there as well. 

Travis trying to look sober.

This is a more accurate account. :o)

Our hotel did not include a free breakfast, so we decided to check out a place nearby called Good Earth - lots of organic and locally grown ingredients on the menu. Travis got a plate called "Joe's Eggs", while I had the stir fry omelette. I liked his better, although my sweet potato hash was delicious. Some of the veggies in my omelette were a bit too watery, making it kind of soggy. Also, the cheese ended up all on one side in a big, globby mess. 

We ended the trip with a quick stop to the Saint Croix Vineyards, and then made our way home. Even though we were both exhausted, we invited Trav's parents over for dinner and cake for his birthday. They brought Emily back to us, so this worked out perfectly. We had a quick dinner of burgers and salad, cut the cake, and then called it a night! I was in bed, asleep, by 8:05, and I don't think I moved all night long. Talk about exhausted! But it was a really great birthday weekend. Now we'll be eating Ramen noodles for the rest of the month to make up for it. Ha! Hey, you only live once, right?

How was your weekend? Have you ever used Uber?

Fitness Friday

Another Friday is upon us, which means it's time for my Fitness Friday wrap up!

Sunday - 12 miles easy pace. I'm not sure if it was because of Mother's Day, or maybe I just wasn't feeling it, but this run was work. I didn't eat the greatest on Saturday, so my stomach felt kind of icky the entire run. It was also super windy on my way back. A few times I literally felt like I was at a stand-still because the wind was blowing so hard. But I got it done. 9:53 average pace.

Monday - Even though I really, really, really did not want to, I woke up early and got in some yoga. I did the Sun Salutations portion of my DVD, plus the lunges, then skipped to the quick program for just pigeon pose, bridge, and hamstring & quad stretches. 35 minutes total.

Tuesday - Since it was horribly windy and threatening to snow, I decided to make this my easy day instead of the prescribed workout. 3 easy miles on the treadmill.

Wednesday - Hill to Tempo workout: 1 mile warm up, 4 x 90 seconds uphill at 7:35 pace, jog down rest. 3 min rest, then 3 miles @ 8:40 pace, 1 mile cool down. I was super excited about this workout, and nervous. I kind of like hill repeats, even though they're horrible and not fun. But they make you so much stronger! This workout is specifically designed to give you jello legs, and then make you run fast on them, imitating the fatigue you'll feel in the later miles of the marathon. My repeats were: 7:38, 7:41, 7:39, 7:33, and my tempo miles were: 8:39, 8:40, 8:43. I'm pretty proud of myself! Not going to lie, keeping up that pace after the hill repeats was work, but it didn't kill me. This run ended up being way longer than I thought too, at 6.58 miles. But it's Book Club day, so hooray for all those extra burned calories!

Thursday - normally a run day for me, but I decided to switch it up and do yoga this morning. 35 minutes and a bajillion lunges later, and my thighs and quads are not happy with me. Blue Emu oil to the rescue!

Friday - Easy 3 miles. It was a little foggy and a little misty out this morning. Just enough to make it difficult to see through my glasses. So I took them off, which was interesting too. I can see without them, just not very far. Good thing I know my route like the back of my hand! I don't do contacts - the thought of sticking them in my eye makes me tear up. Even putting drops in is difficult. So I wear my glasses all the time, even running. Average pace: 9:34/min per mile.

Tomorrow morning I'm up early for 6 miles, then we're off to the Twin Cities for Trav's birthday weekend extravaganza! More to come on Monday!

How's your training going? Do you run with glasses, if you wear them?

Skinnytaste Cubano Pork Loin

If you like Cuban sandwiches, you have got to try this recipe. If you've never had a Cuban sandwich, I still highly recommend this Skinnytaste recipe, from her newest cookbook. We've made it twice now, and it's come out fabulously each time.

Cubano Pork Tenderloin
Pork:
1 pork tenderloin or loin
1 tbsp mustard
2 oz Swiss cheese
2 oz deli ham
pickles and/or banana peppers

Rub: (approximates)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp black pepper

Kitchen string

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Prep a baking dish or pan with aluminum foil. Cut 5-6 pieces of kitchen string, about 8 inches long. Mix your spices together to create the rub in a small bowl.

Slice your tenderloin in half long ways leaving about 1/4 of an inch attached in the middle, then try to slice each half again leaving 1/4 of an inch attached on both sides. Since I used a loin both times, I just did 2 slices. Then cover the tenderloin with Saran wrap and bang it thin with a meat cleaver. Or a hammer if you don't have one :o)

Next, spread your mustard on one side of the tenderloin. Add the Swiss cheese on top of the mustard, then the deli ham on top of that. Last, add your pickles. Since Travis hates pickles, I put banana peppers on his half. Then you'll want to roll your loin up like a jelly roll, basically. Tie it closed with your cut kitchen strings. I find it easiest if I lay the strings out on my pan, then lay the loin over top and tie them off.

Rub the loin first with olive oil, then with the mixed spice rub. Pop that baby in the oven for about 35-45 minutes, depending on thickness. Mine typically takes the 45 minutes to fully cook to 160 degrees. Let it rest 10 minutes, slice and serve!

You see with mine that I only cut it in half. I probably could have done 4 quarters, but it works well this way too. Paired with a fresh veggie, this makes a great, low-calorie meal that still packs a lot of flavor. The three year old clears her plate and asks for more!

Do you like Cuban food? Have you bought the Skinnytaste cookbook yet?